Anime Expo is a registered trademark of the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation. For more info on AX, see their website at http://www.anime-expo.org/

It Can Only Be An Anime Con!

by Timothy Georgi

It's not very often that I can just sit back and watch. As I sit here, hundreds of people go rushing by from all directions. At any given moment, I can look down from my current vantage point (the top picture there to the left) and see a wide variety of people and characters. I look down now and see Nadia and Hotohori taking pictures of some Sorcerer Stabber Orphen characters. Over on a lobby couch, a member of Team Rocket is sitting next to Sailor Mars. Inu-Yasha walks past Super Saiyan Gokuu. And I don't think I can even count the number of times I've seen different Sakuras, Tifas, Chichiris and various other popular characters... Yes, that's right. It can only be an anime con, coming to you live (at least as I type this that is) from the 10th annual Anime Expo.

It may just be me but in all the years I've been to anime cons, I've never really paid much attention to the one thing that causes most anime fans to attend conventions. No, not the Dealer's Room (although that is a VERY good reason to come if you have fundage to spend). An anime con is one of the few places where who you are and what you can do has virtually no boundaries. Of course, I'm referring to the art of cosplaying. From immensely popular characters like Sailor Moon and Sakura to the ultimately obscure characters that sometimes need explanation, you can find examples of creativity everywhere... Looking down again, I see Chun Li, Chun Li and Chun Li from Street Fighter, one pink, one purple and one red. A few steps away, a few of my online friends are posing for the cameras donning pairs of bright white wings while Vash the Stampead promotes the virtues of love and peace. There's always a lot to see, if you just take the time to look for it. And I never mind having a cute Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mercury stand in front of me. ^_^ The characters are everywhere.

And not only cosplayers. You can also look down on occasion to see the likes of Ishiguro-sensei of Macross TV fame talking with fans or Fushigi Yuugi manga artist Watase Yuu videotaping the happenings of the day. Upstairs you can hear the rhythmic pounding of the Bemani video games running non-stop as congers compete to show their skill at the likes of Dance Dance Revolution.

There's never a lack of activity at an anime con. And as Tenchi in his Light Hawk Wings takes a picture of Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury, it's time for me to head down to an industry panel... So much to do and so little time. Yes, that's right. It can only be an anime con.

Excuse me now. I've got those cute Sailor Scouts in front of me... Oh, and that panel... That's right. ^_^ See you when I'm done.